Pune: Concerns have been raised that if the accused couple in the Kalyani Nagar accident case, Vishal and Shivani Agarwal, are granted bail, they might flee the country, much like notorious fugitives Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya.
This warning was issued by Assistant Police Commissioner Ganesh Ingle during a court hearing on Monday (August 12), where he urged the court to deny bail to the couple. Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray also argued against the bail application.
The Agarwals, who are affluent construction business owners, are currently in judicial custody. They are accused of attempting to manipulate evidence by paying off doctors at Sassoon Hospital to alter their son’s blood samples following the accident.
Pune Police argued against the bail, stating that the crime committed by the accused is of a serious nature. The accused allegedly paid doctors at Sassoon Hospital through Ashpaq Inamdar and Amar Gaikwad to change their son's blood samples. The couple offered a large sum to Dr. Ajay Taware. There are six witnesses in the Kalyani Nagar accident case, and if the Agarwal's are granted bail, they may threaten the witnesses.
The DNA test reports of the minor son, his father Vishal, and mother Shivani have been submitted to the court. The reports indicate that the accused attempted to destroy evidence, according to Ingle. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14. The defense team includes advocates Harshad Nimbalkar, Sudhir Shah, Rishikesh Ganu, Prasad Kulkarni, and Satyam Nimbalkar.
Agarwal's Friend Provided the Money
Vishal Agarwal's friend, a retired officer from the Public Works Department, introduced Dr. Ajay Taware to him, leading to financial transactions.
Following Agarwal's instructions, his friend Raju provided ₹4 lakh to the driver to hand over to Amar Gaikwad and Ashfaq Makandar, as informed by Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray in court.
A senior officer at Sassoon Hospital testified in the case. After seeing news of the accident on television, the officer requested the blood test reports of the son. The officer found the reports suspicious and alerted higher authorities, according to Hiray's arguments.